Tag Archives: Jerusalem

The European Union has released a report that labels the very presence of Jews on the eastern side of Jerusalem as “provocative.” According to the Europeans, the building of Jewish homes in these areas is the single greatest threat to peace in the region.

Titled “Jerusalem Report 2012,” the survey asserts that the construction of homes for Jews on the eastern side of Jerusalem is a “systematic, deliberate and provocative” effort to make it “impossible for Jerusalem to become the capital of two states.”

It should be noted that the report is not referring to small, isolated settlements, but rather to large Jewish neighborhoods like French Hill, Pisgat Zeev and Gilo (for those familiar with the city).

For Israelis, the whole thing is just absurd. That the return of an ancient people to the areas that made up their ancient heartland should pose a threat to peace simply doesn’t make sense. Not to mention the fact that Jews have continuously lived in these areas, and especially in Jerusalem, non-stop for some 3,000 years. What the world doesn’t like is that the Jews now exercise control in this Land.

As Alan Baker, an Israeli expert in international law, told Israel Today, the Jews are an indigenous people in this land. If the international community cannot accept this fact, then there is no basis for even starting peace talks.

More than 30 Knesset members show up for inaugural weekly Bible study session initiated by new centrist party Yesh Atid, which has called for all Israelis to both learn the Bible and serve the nation

Friday, February 22, 2013 Israel Today Staff

We have already reported several times on Benjamin Netanyahu’s revival of the Prime Minister’s Bible Study group in Israel. Now the Knesset is getting in on the trend with the establishment of its own weekly sessions of scriptural enlightenment.

The initiative came from one of the new Knesset parties, the centrist Yesh Atid, which fields both secular and religious lawmakers.

Despite running an election campaign that emphasized an end to army exemptions for and exaggerated welfare payouts to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector, and subsequently being labeled anti-religious by ultra-Orthodox leaders, Yesh Atid has since the election been the most outspoken party about getting more Israelis to study the Bible.

“Seeing MKs and staff members from ultra-Orthodox through secular studying Torah together showed the beauty of the environment we are creating in this new Knesset,” Lipman told the Times of Israel.

There is a growing sense in Israel that the Bible needs to form the basis of the state’s culture and policies, but that the ultra-Orthodox must not have a monopoly on the biblical interpretation of what it means to be Jewish.

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

Shabbat shalom dearly beloved!

Many people start the Gregorian Calendar New Year with what they call “new year’s resolutions”. For the most part they revolve around improving some problem areas such as weight loss or quitting smoking etc. Most of these resolutions remain as “wishfull thinking” as most people cannot carry them through! They are a vain attempt of the flesh to “improve itself” without Repentance- Teshuva which brings about a true Revolution in the way we THINK and ACT.

It is very interesting that the Pagan Calendar Year starting in January and ending in December is celebrated from midnight on and not from sunset as the Bblical Day goes. It is also interested that most people party until the wee hours of the morning and get drunk a lot, all that on top of the famous “resolutions” to be a better person next year! People everywhere are hoping for New Beginnings and yes YHVH is a God of new beginnings and second opportunities but they come as a fruit of Teshuva-Repentance and not human resolutions!

And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

What is the difference between a Resolution and a Repentance induced Revolution? In the first the source of it is the flesh and on the second one it is the spirit. The first one depends on human self effort and the second one depends on Elohim-God and His Mercy and ability to change us. The first one is a total failure and the second one is an eternal success. The first one is rooted in pride and self confidence and the second one is rooted in humility, faith and trust in a loving Creator that cares about us.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

TESHUVA in Hebrew means to Repent, to Return (to Yah’s ways) and to be Restored. It is only His goodness that leads us into Teshuva-Repentance. It starts with humilty and prayer, fasting and prayer which in turn releases grace to change our ways and forgiveness in order to have a fresh new start. When we celebrate Rosh Chodesh and Rosh Hashana (New month and New Year) according to the Hebrew Biblical Calendar, the shofar is blown calling the people to Teshuva. In the Biblical Culture there ae two times a year when we celebrate the “New Year”. The first one is on the FIRST Biblical month, the month of Abib (Nissan) or the month of Pessach (Passover). Since it is the first of the months, it is Rosh Chodesh celebrations calling us to return to YHVH and through that to receive FREEDOM and Deliverance!

Exodus 12:1,2

On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. Exodus 13:4

The second “New Year” is the Feast of Shofars (Trumpets) on the first of the Seventh Biblical Month (Tishrei) where the whole theme is Teshuva leading to the Fast of Yom Hakippurim or the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 23:24

Both New Year celebrations are totally Biblical and focus on seeking the God of Abraham, Isaac and Yaakov and His Kingdom and not oneself. These Biblical New Year celebrations are not accompanied by disco bar parties with lots of alcohol and vain resolutions but rather by prayer services, public and private repentance and worship in spirit and truth. How far and different are these Biblically oriented celebrations from the pagan New Year where the center of it all is man and his/her resolutions!

Both in the Biblical New Year for Agriculture and Feast Cycle (First of Abib normally in March) and on the Jewish New Year for civilian affairs which falls on Feast of Shofars called Rosh Hashana the focus is WORSHIP to YHVH, He is the Center and we revolve around Him. When He is the focus and the center of our life and celebrations, we can truly enjoy a revolution!

Proverbs 16:3

An important question to ask is this one: When Yeshua returns to rule and reign from Jerusalem will we He be following the Hebrew Biblical Calendar or the Gregorian pagan calendar that is rooted in sun worship? The Word of Elohim tells us clearly that He will actually not return until ALL things are restored and that includes Holy Worship and the Biblical Feast Calendar.

Acts 3:19-21

This is so clear in Zechariah 14:16 when His Word states that ALL the nations will have to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Biblical Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) and that the nation that does not come will have no blessing, no rain. Nations are commanded to celebrate Biblical Feasts not Christmas or Easter or New Year’s Eve!

Zechariah 14:16-19

Because of the ignorance He has had mercy on nations but once He establishes the Millenial Reign they will have no choice but to choose the Biblical Hebrew Calendar. After all why would Greek-Roman-Babylonian traditions have more influence and power in the nations and especially in the Church than Hebrew Biblical traditions or actually COMMANDMENTS? It is because the spirit of Anti Messiah (AntiChrist) has been ruling since the Council of Nicea established Replaceemnt Theology as Church Doctrine! But the Command for 2013 is Repent and Return to the Biblical Hebrew Foundations of Faith that times of refreshing and REVIVAL will come from the Presence of YHVH!

In order to assist you in making the turn and entering into Revival we have produced a one of a kind video Bible School called GRM that you can order through http://www.kad-esh.org press on Bible School. It will help you immensely as it is helping many around the Globe! Then your New Year Resolutions will turn into The MAP Revolution, the Messianic Apostolic Prophetic Revolution and you will be able to enjoy a New Beginning like never before! Many people that have experienced the change that Teshuva-Repentance towards the original Hebrew Foundations of Faith as in the Book of Acts state that they feel “born again again!”. That is true REVIVAL!

I encourage to study GRM and start celebrating the Biblical Feasts rather than following the pagan feast calendar! After all it is His Word that is established in Heaven and not our traditions!

On Sunday, several foreign and Israeli news outlets reported that the radical Gaza-based group Hamas was preparing to take over the West Bank, determined to oust the current Western-backed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

According to reports, the Islamists were emboldened by their recent war with Israel and the alleged victory that followed.

Militants claimed that Israel failed to cripple their ability (and will) to launch attacks against civilian targets, with some going as far as to suggest that Hamas left the battleground if not victorious, then at least stronger diplomatically. The movement was also encouraged by the absence of a full-scale ground invasion that could easily have toppled the Hamas regime.

To add insult to injury, Israel’s government agreed (as part of the ceasefire deal) to eliminate the so-called “no man’s land”, a buffer zone beyond Israel’s security fence along the Gaza border. The removal of this cordon sanitaire not only left the Jewish state more vulnerable to attacks by Hamas and other terrorists, but will also invited “publicity stunts” by various non-governmental organizations under the direction of Hamas.

Israel Won, Hamas Was Defeated

Nevertheless, there are some who view the recent Israeli operation as successful, and who insist that it was Hamas that suffered defeat.

Prof. Hillel Frisch, an expert on Palestinian and Islamic politics from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, says Operation Pillar of Cloud achieved maximum deterrence. “It has been the first time since 2001 that [Hamas] ceased all fire. They marked the end of the war on the national calendar and declared it a holiday, but the truth is that they were defeated.”

The expert added: “After realizing that their tactics of shooting rockets into Israel was no longer working, Hamas decided to pursue other, to their mind, more effective means of harassing Israel, one of which was staging mass demonstrations near the [security] fence.”

Indeed, two days after the sides agreed to a ceasefire on November 21st, a group of 300 Palestinians approached the fence in the southern Gaza Strip and held a violent disturbance along the border. The army had to use force to disperse the crowds, killing one Palestinian and injuring several others. Another Palestinian was killed in similar developments several days later.

Hamas Won, Israel Failed

Others, such as Dimitri Diliani, spokesman for Abbas’ Fatah movement, insisted Israel had utterly failed in the recent Gaza conflict.

“Compared to other Israeli wars [where the country achieved measurable results], the recent operation was not fruitful. It failed to achieve the goals declared by the government, mainly to cripple Hamas’ ability to launch rockets into the state of Israel,” said Diliani.

Referring to Hamas’ victory claims, Diliani agreed that although the Palestinian people were dealt a severe blow (the amount of military and civilians losses on the Palestinian side was much higher), they did create the sense of succeeding to defeat the powerful Israeli army on a moral (or even psychological) level.

“In a way, it is a victory for all Palestinian people suffering at the hands of the Israeli occupation [sic],” the Palestinian official continued. “At the same time, Hamas has been trying to take the credit for all the achievements to itself, which is fundamentally wrong, considering the many political factions within the Strip that participated in defending Gaza during the Israeli aggression.”

Referring to the recent apparent nosedive in Hamas-Egypt relations, Frisch noted, “On the one hand, it might look as if Egypt chose to scrap its ties with the terrorist organization. On the other hand, Egypt is trying to reassure Hamas that the cool-down in relations is only temporary. After achieving their ultimate goal of establishing theocracy, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood will start bolstering Hamas again.”

According to Frisch, Hamas understood that Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood first had to take care of business at home without overly alarming the international community. “Morsi thus compelled Hamas to accept a complete ceasefire, something that Hamas refused to do since it began launching rockets in 2001.”

However, Egypt is far from being the only country to support the militant group. It is no longer a secret that Hamas is also backed by Iran (main weapons’ provider) and the Gulf states (particularly Qatar).

Ripple Effect

Encouraged by Hamas gains, the Abbas regime decided to move ahead with its own battle against Israel, this time on a diplomatic level. At the end of November, Abbas approached the United Nations’ General Assembly asking the international body to upgrade his government’s status from “entity” to “observer state.” The request was granted with 138 members (out of 193) voting in favor.

But was Abbas motivated by a genuine desire to change things? Experts seem to be divided.

“The UN bid gave the Palestinians the feeling that a Palestinian state would soon come into being,” said Frisch. “The Palestinian Authority doesn’t enjoy much credibility in the West Bank,” added the expert suggesting that the move was aimed at boosting Abbas’ popularity.

Gatestone Institute, an international policy think tank, echoed this view, stating that Abbas’ UN drive was “… the last chance for Mahmoud Abbas to remain in charge. In recent weeks he has been phoning around the foreign ministries of Europe explaining that if they don’t back him this time in the non-state statehood bid, then it is all over and all we have to deal with is Hamas…”

Diliani disagreed, stressing that the move was dictated by the desire to pursue peace, freedom and justice.

“It actually nullified the Israeli right-wing agenda to expand settlements under the pretext of land disputes,” he charged. “UN recognition provided Palestinians the tools to defend themselves from Israel’s settlement activity or targeted killing.”

Slippery Slope

Although the upgrade didn’t change things on the ground, the UN’s overwhelming support did embolden Abbas, who was given a green light to pursue additional unilateral measures instead of sitting down for talks with Israel that could translate into painful concessions on both sides.

In Israel, however, most experts and top brass disregarded Abbas’ move saying it was insignificant.

Diliani rebuked that position: “[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is not interested in admitting defeat, especially at election time. That’s why he spreads this propaganda, trying to marginalize the importance of the Palestinian victory, when the truth of the matter is that Israel was dealt a severe diplomatic blow that exposed its international isolation as a result of the continuation of occupation.”

Hamas-Fatah Unity = Trouble For Israel

Although it is too early to tell whether the UN upgrade will result in significant changes, Abbas’ flirting with Hamas might. Recent reports suggested that a reunion between Fatah and Hamas (two staunch rivals) was on the horizon.

The Palestinian street seems to be favoring the move. Thousands took to the streets in the Gaza Strip to celebrate Abbas’ victory at the UN, whereas crowds in the West Bank rallied in support of Hamas, celebrating the fact that its rockets had struck as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

What could this potential union mean for Israel? Simply put: trouble.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders are already preparing for the next round of fighting with Israel, promising that “in the next war, Israelis will be forced to flee not only their homes, but the whole country”. Fatah is also reading itself for a possible confrontation, with some leaders calling for a new intifada [uprising] against Israel, especially in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

Can Israel Divide and Conquer?

But Frisch was skeptical. “I doubt that Fatah will ever want to reunite with Hamas. Abbas and those around him are scared of Hamas’ potential take-over the West Bank. Although many Palestinians don’t support Hamas, Fatah leaders are afraid of the organization’s strong desire to take control and the ruthlessness with which they are able to do so,” stressed the expert.

Diliani rebutted those allegations and claimed Hamas was too scared of Fatah’s growing popularity: “So far, Hamas has failed the people, they have proven to be incompetent to govern, let alone lead politically. Fatah and Hamas are not going to be united. Reconciliation is possible and highly desirable; unity is not. We might have serious disagreements on the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that won’t prevent us from sitting down for talks.”

But if this reunion (or even reconciliation) does take place, will Israel be willing to negotiate with Hamas? Have Hamas and Fatah manage to tie Israel’s hands this time? Time will tell…

The Cabinet unanimously voted Sunday morning to reject the United Nations decision to grant the Palestinian Authority nonmember observer state status. The move allowed the PA to circument its obligation under the internationally-mandated Oslo Accords, signed by both parties in the early 1990s, to negotiate a final status agreement with Israel.

At its regular weekly meeting in Jerusalem, the government passed a resolution completely rejecting the U.N. resolution passed last Thursday that in effect recognized the PA as a de facto , independent, sovereign state.

In his opening remarks at the start of the meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said bluntly, “Israel will not allow Judea and Samaria to become a terror base from which rockets will be launched into Israeli towns. There will be no Palestinian State until Israel is recognized as a Jewish State, alongside a resolution to end the conflict.”

The resolution passed by the Cabinet reads in part: “The Jewish People have a natural, historical and legal right to its homeland with its eternal capital Jerusalem. The State of Israel as the state of the Jewish People has rights and claims to areas that are under dispute in the Land of Israel.”

In addition, the Cabinet emphasized that the resolution passed by the United Nations does not change the status of those disputed areas. Nor does the U.N. resolution detract in any way from the right of the State of Israel and the Jewish People to those disputed areas, all of which were restored to Israel in defensive wars.

Furthermore, the U.N. resolution will not become the basis for future negotiations between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Cabinet resolution affirmed.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz also said at the outset of the meeting he would not send to the PA tax monies that had been earmarked for transfer later this month. Instead, those funds will be used to pay at least part of the PA’s electricity debt to Israel, which has been in arrears for some time.

Soldiers and civilians in Israel are for the most part extremely disappointed with the decision of the government to implement cease fire before time.

PM Netanyahu declared that the established goals of diminishing the Hamas power has been achieved however both the public and the military were ready for a much more thorough operation to defeat and uproot the Hamas altogether. Most government buildings were indeed destroyed, 180 dead in Gaza, 900 wounded, and out of 10000 Hamas has “only” 5000 rockets left.

However, Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyeh declared victory and that Hamas won public recognition. On top of it he stated that Pillar of Cloud operation is a wonderful bridge for the real purpose which is the conquest of Jerusalem and all “their” land. It looks that in spite of all their hits (1500 air force hits over Gaza) they are actually very encouraged by the outcome while most of the Israeli citizens are discouraged, very unhappy about this.

PM Netanyahu states that if the cease fire will be broken by Hamas, Israel will be ready for a more radical operation including the takeover of Gaza (implied by the PM but mentioned by the media)

Israel lost 6 people (2 soldiers and 4 civilians) and 450 wounded. Iron Dome managed to pre- explode 450 rockets preventing much damage and loss of life.

We shall continue praying until all of Israel is saved and established in its Land. For sure His promises will be kept!

Until January 22 Israel is in a race for new elections! Let us pray for a leader after YHVH’s (Gods) own heart!

Thank you and bless you for keeping your prayers flowing for Israel as requested in Isaiah 62:1,6,7